Tada… a fanfare for the new DGNB website. And because there are so many novel features to discover, we’ve decided to provide you with a brief overview of the most important changes we’ve made in a three-part series of blog posts. Let’s continue in part 2 with our digital networking platform: myDGNB.

The DGNB now has almost 2400 members. This membership base consists just as much of architects, engineering companies and planning specialists, as property companies, financial firms, construction companies, the producers of building materials, local authorities, universities … and many more. As if that were not enough, the DGNB Academy has trained more than 10,000 people to become DGNB Auditors, Consultants, Registered Professionals and ESG Managers. And then there are a large number of partnerships with associations, societies, chambers of commerce and institutes – inside and outside Germany. They’re an apt reflection of the huge network of contacts forged by the DGNB.

A platform for networking, exchanging ideas and forming partnerships – independent of time and location

The DGNB has always seen itself as a platform for sharing know-how and forging networks. This is also why we’ve come up with lots of ideas that place emphasis on getting to know each other and exchanging views with other industry stakeholders.

First, we have the DGNB Sustainability Day, an opportunity for hundreds of people from our network to meet up in person every year towards the end of June. Then there’s the DGNB Annual Congress, an online event which we’ll be staging for the third time on 27 – 28 February 2024. Just like last year, we expect around 2000 people to tune in to the conference. And as ever, at World Green Building Week (in Stuttgart on 11 September, when we will unveil our new event format, the DGNB Idea Lab, on our trade fair stand at BAU and Expo Real in Munich, and during Bauwende unterwegs (our roadshow events on the transition to sustainable building), our emphasis will lie in encouraging people to come together and meet others.

The only thing we feel has been missing until now is a platform for people to get to know others along similar lines to those events – and gain inspiration at other times of the year. So, this gap is now being plugged by myDGNB, our new digital networking platform.

Please note that myDGNB is currently only available in German. We are working on the Englisch version.

Free to use for all, plus special offers for DGNB members and certification experts

One thing we’re not attempting to do with myDGNB is introduce a new business model. It’s free to use for anyone who shares an interest in the topics of the DGNB. Our aim in setting up the myDGNB platform is to help people forge networks, to allow people to stay informed and to encourage others to join in the discussion.

In contrast to the DGNB website, which offers a vehicle (in the form of profiles) for members to present themselves as organisations, myDGNB gives everyone the opportunity to present themselves to the sustainable building community on a more individual and personal level. Profiles set up on the platform are thus more like personal business cards in the DGNB cosmos. This is also why we strongly recommend going the extra mile and investing good thought in a personal profile, which you can also review regularly. After all, the other platform users can only get in touch with you if you provide your contact details.

We also recommend that auditors include a list of the DGNB-certified projects they have managed in their profile. This is the ideal online resource to turn to if you’re looking for a particular partner to work with you on future projects. If you’re currently a member of the DGNB and you’ve been awarded a title by the DGNB Academy, this will already be stored in your membership profile and is thus visible for everyone to see.

Become an active participant in myDGNB groups

Groups are a core feature of the new networking platform. There are two types of groups. First there are a number of exclusive groups, with private areas for people to interact in. For example, there is a separate members’ area, a group set up specially for DGNB Auditors and Consultants, and a group dedicated to DGNB ESG Managers. In future, all DGNB committees will have their own exclusive group to share documents, discuss specialist topics and coordinate dates for future meetings.

There are also a number of public groups, which all myDGNB users are welcome to join in on and follow. As well as offering special discounts for DGNB members at events, these public groups feature the latest media coverage on the DGNB, a job forum and a partner search function. This makes it possible for students to search for experts for their degree papers, and universities can find out more about ongoing research projects with a bearing on sustainable building. Take a look at our overview of the different groups and see which topics interest you.

Use the dashboard and stay informed by receiving regular email updates

We offer a number of ways for you to ensure you don’t miss out on what’s happening in the groups you subscribe to. First, try to make sure you visit myDGNB regularly and use your dashboard to keep up to date with the latest news. It’s a bit like a personal landing page.

Then it makes sense to register so you can be kept up to speed via email, which offers a synopsis of everything new on myDGNB. This is also a good way to receive even more up-to-date information (beyond our regular newsletters and social media posts) on things happening at the DGNB, as well as upcoming events.

Test phase of myDGNB until September

We have high expectations of the new myDGNB platform, especially when it comes to networking within our community – at all times of the year. And our sights are not just set on the immediate horizon. For us, setting up the myDGNB platform is a long-term priority and we have every hope that there will be lots of input from users. This would allow us to create a new platform that offers genuine benefit to everyone.

As a result, when we start the platform nothing is carved in stone or thought through in every last detail; not every click has to work perfectly from day one. Instead, we want to understand what people are looking for, or what they like and need, so that energy and life are injected into our concept, which is about offering a networking platform that serves the entire DGNB community. That’s also why we’ve decided to use the platform like a kind of sandbox for the first few weeks, to give all users a bit of time to get a feel for the myDGNB platform and explore its potential.

In September, we will start expanding the scope of functions. So at this point, you’ll be able to define by yourself how regularly you want to receive email updates on things in your myDGNB groups. You’ll also be offered the possibility to set up and moderate groups yourself. Maybe the myDGNB platform will spawn regional clusters of like-minded people, or allow you to exchange ideas on a local level and set up your own chat groups. Whatever happens, we would be delighted if this online exchange of ideas results in tangible partnerships developing, and that those new relationships offer benefit to everyone involved. Let’s give it a go!

Other posts in this blog series

Interested in hearing more about the other innovative ideas the DGNB has introduced online? Read Part 1 and Part 3 of this blog series, in which we look in detail at the relaunch of the DGNB website and DGNB User Accounts.